Wheelbarrow.



E. B. PEIRCE.

WHBELBARROW.

Y APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1911. 1,052,953. Patented Feb. 1l, 1913.

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WHEBLBARROW.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2s, 1911.

1,052,953. l Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

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E.' B. PE1ReB.

WHBELBARROW. I APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1911. I

1,0529953 Patented Feb. 11,1913.

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IIIIF@ @'IATES PATENT FFIQE,

EDWARD B. PEIRCE, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

WHEELBARROW.

To all whom z'z may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD B. PninoE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of lWIassachuset-ts, have invented aI certain new and useful Improvement in lWieelbarrows, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wheelbarrows, such as are designed chiefly to be run on a permanent or temporary rail, as in the construction and repairing of railways and in railway freight-yards on the track-rails or in mining tunnels or tracks or on any rough or soft ground where portable rails may be laid.

In a previous Patent, No. 674,710, granted to me May Q1, 1901, I showed and described a wheelbarrow having a single wheel peripherally-grooved to receive a rail, said wheel being so swiveled as to be capable of being turned at such an angle with the line of draft or travel of the wheelbarrow as to permit the barrowman while propelling the barrow to wall; at one side of the rail instead of straddling the rail. In the wheelbarrow herein shown and described, I accomplish the same result by other means and wholly relieve the barrowman from the weight of the load. 'Io this end, I arrange two such grooved supporting wheels in the same vertical longitudinal plane, in which lies the normal center of gravity of the barrow and load, and I place the center of gravity of the tray of the barrow very low, so that it is very easy for the barrowman to maintain said barrow and load in an upright position and to reserve his strength for the propelling of the barrow on the rail, and I arrange the handle-bars in such a manner that their free ends are in a position to enable the barrowman to walk at the side of the supporting rail. I have also provided the barrow with a pair of connected legs pivoted in such a manner as to be easily brought into or out of use by the hand or foot of the barrowman.

In a modified form of my invention, I show means by which the handles may be adjustable to either the right or left side of the line of draft ofthe barrow; also how the median line of the handle-bars may be brought into alinement with the line of travel where occasion requires the barrow to be used on surfaces, as the floors of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 23, 1911.

Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

semi No. 628,941.

freight-houses, where a rail may not be needed.

In the accompanying drawing on three sheets, Figure 1, is a right side elevation of a wheelbarrow provided with my improvement; Fig. 2, a reversed plan of the same; Fig. 3, a rear end elevation of the same, the legs of the barrow being represented as in use in Fig. 3, but not in the preceding figures. In-the above named figures, the handles are represented as laterally offset and permanently secured in place. In Figs. 4 8 the handles are represented as equally adjustable in opposite directions to enable the barrowman to wall; on either side of the rail. Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a rear elevation and a side elevation of the wheelbarrow supported on a rail; Fig. 6, a vertical section, on the line 6 6 in Fig. 4, of the means of adjusting the handle-bars; Fig. 7, a rear elevation of said adjusting means, the swivel-plate being partly in sect-ion on the line 7 7 in Fig. 8; Fig. 8, a plan of said adjusting means, the barrow being in section on the line 8 8 in Fig. 4. The remaining Figs. 9, 10 and 11 show a modification of the means for adjusting the handle-bars and are respectively a side elevation, a reversed plan and a rear elevation, the handle-bars in Fig. 11 being in vertical transverse section on the line 11 11 in Fig. 10.

A indicates the tray or scoop of the barrow (Figs. 1-8), to which are secured parallel frame-bars B B1, in which are supported the horizontal axles c c1 of the wheels C C1, said frame-bars extending beyond the tray A in front and rear, to allow said tray to be placed between the wheels and to bring the center of gravity of said tray and load very low. The bars B B1 are preferably of angle-iron and their end-portions are bent upward and secured to the scoop by rivets b b1 or equivalent means.

The wheels C C1 are provided with peripheral grooves c2 03 to receive a rail which may be either a permanent rail D, of the ordinary construction, supported on sleepers d which rest upon the ground E in the usual manner, or a temporary or portable rail which may consist of a flexible pipe or rod, as stated in said previous patent. The wheels C C1 are arranged tandem, that is, in the same vertical longitudinal plane which passes through the center of gravity of the tray and of an evenly distributed load in said tray, so that, the center of gravity being very low, it is an easy matter to maintiain the barrow ina vertical position.

A bar F is bent to the sha-pe best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, having a straight middle portion which passes through the bars B B1 and is journaled therein in front of the rear wheel C and is then bent backward at f1 f2 parallel with said bars for a distance and then spread outwardly at f3 f4, to form legs which, being turned vertically downward, are long enough to reach the ground or track on each side of the rail D when the wheels are on the rail, and when turned down to a less extent, will support the barrow when the wheels rest upon the ground. The legs are held in the desired position by a latch Gr pivoted at g to one of the parallel parts, as f1, of the bar F and provided with notches g2 g3 g4 so arranged that when the lower notch g4 is in engagement with the guide and catch-plate G1, secured to the rear of the tray, the legs are wholly out of contact with the ground; when the next notch g3 is in such engagement, the legs reach the ground when the barrow is on the ground; and when the upper notch g2 is in such engagement, the lower end of the legs rest upon the ground when the wheels are on the rail. When the legs are in t-he raised position shown in Fig. 1, the barrowman may disengage the latch Gr by pushing it forward with his foot, without letting go of the handlesof the barrow, and the legs will fall by their own gravity until they touch the ground. The upper end of the latch being provided with a hook g5 the latch may be lifted raising the legs by hand or by the foot applied to said hook.

In Figs 1-3, the handle-bars H H1 are rigidly secured to the tray of the barrow by means of bolts 7L for equivalent devices and by straps h1 in an obvious manner, but the free ends of the handles h2 its proper of said bars, instead of being arranged symmetrically or at equal distances from the median plane of the wheelbarrow, are offset toward one side of the barrow suthciently to enable the barrowman grasping said handles to walk by the side ofthe rail on which the barrow runs. In the remaining figures, the handles are represented as adjustable laterally in either direction, to allow the barrowman to walk on either side of the rail as necessity may require or as may suit his convenience.

In Figs. 4 8, the handles H2 H3 are supported on a swivel-plate I which turns on a central pivot z', rigidly secured to the back of the tray A in such a manner that the upper portion of the handles, which are arranged considerably above said center, may be turned to the right or the left. The plate I is provided with an arc-shaped marginal iiange l provided with holes 21's 4 arranged radially therein and each adapted' to receive a pin J, which being passed through a bracket K, secured to the back of the tray above said plate, locks said swivel-plate with the handles at equal distances from the median plane when said pin is in the hole 3, or laterally displaced to the left when said pin is in the hole 2, or to the right when said pin is in the hole 4. Said pin J is hung to the front of the tray by a cha-in j to prevent its being lost or out of place when wanted. The handles H2 Hs are not rigidly secured to the plate I but are arranged in sleeves 701 kx fixed on said plate, in which they may be separately adjusted, to vary their height and when adjusted, said handles are held from movement in any direction by spring-latches 700 Z: which are represented as leaf-springs each having one end riveted at V/r2 71:3 to one of said sleeves and near the other or free end provided with a pin 704 fc5 which passes through a hole in the corresponding sleeve and into one of several holes h4 with which the lower part of each handle-bar is provided, thus preventing said handle-bars from turning or moving longitudinally in said sleeve.

In Figs. 9-11 the handle-bars HL1 H5 are represented as both formed in one piece and pivoted at their common front end to a cross-bar B3 secured to the frame-bars B4 B5, said handle-bars diverging rearwardly and extending about parallel with the bottom of the tray for some distance and being oit-set upwardly to a suitable height to enable their rear ends or handles proper to be conveniently grasped by the barrow-man. The handles are guided between parallel cross-bars B6 B7, secured to the frame-bars B4 B5 near the rear of the bottom of the tray, and may be moved laterally between said cross-bars to bring the barrowman at either side of or directly behind the middle of the tray. lVhen the handle-bars are swung to the right or left they are retained in place by the right or left handle-bar engaging a notch or bend 3 or b4 in the upper one B6 and being retained therein by the weight of the tray and its load.

In Figs. 9-11 the barrow is represented as provided with permanent legs F1 F2 which reach down at all times below the rear wheel of the barrow, as shown in Figs. 9 and 11, said rear wheel C being represented as smaller than the front wheel C1, so that the barrow may be used on the ground without a rail in the usual manner, the wheels being however grooved to receive a rail as above described. The legs F1 F2 consist of bars bent as shown and secured at their front ends to the cross-bar B3 and at their rear ends to the cross-bar B7.

In the last-named iigures the tray is-represented as provided with sockets L to reoeive stakes which may be used in the ordinary manner to retain in place bars, sleepers or such articles arranged transversely of the tray between said stakes. rlhe small rear wheel C in the figures last-named is represented as supported in a strap M bent upward like an inverted U and secured to the cross-bar B7, said strap having laterally extended arms m m1 secured to the legs F1 F2 at their outer ends.

I claim- 1. The combination in a wheelbarrow, of a frame, t-wo wheels, each provided with a peripheral groove to receive a rail, said wheels being arranged tandem and having handles arranged at unequal distances from the median plane of said barrow.

2. The combination in a wheelbarrow, of a frame, two wheels, each provided with a peripheral groove, said wheels being arranged in the same vertical plane and a pair of handles7 the median line of which is at an angle with the path of travel of said wheelbarrow, to enable the barrowman to walk at one side of said rail while propelling the barrow with both wheels on said rail.

3. The Combination in a wheelbarrow, of a frame, two wheels arranged in the vertical median plane of said wheelbarrow and eaoh provided with a peripheral groove to receive a rail and a pair of handles and means of adjusting said handles laterally so that their median line shall form an angle with the line of travel of said wheelbarrow.

In witness whereof, I have aiiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD B. PEIRCE.

Witnesses ALBERT M. MOORE, WILLIAM F. CURTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

